weber



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. WEBER PIANISSIMO PEDAL FOR PIANOS. I No. 357,36. Patented Feb. 8, 1887.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

P. WEBER.

PIANISSIMO PEDAL FOR PIANOS.

(No Model.)

Patented Feb. 8, 188'7.f

INVENTOH Via M BY Z ATTORNEY-1:

NY PETERS. Pmwuum m. wmhan w. no

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER WEBER, OF BROOKLYN,ASSIGNOR TO SOHMER & 00., on NEW YORK, N. Y.

PlANlSSlMO-PEDAL FOR PIANOS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,436, dated February 8, 1887. Application filed August 17, 1586. Serial No. 211,097. (No model.)

T CLZZ whom it may concern;

Be it knownthat I, PETER WEBER, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pedals for PianoFortcs, of

which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved attachment for pianos, to be used in combination with the soft-pedal for the purpose of producing piano, pianissimo, and harp sounds on a piano of the ordinary construction.

The invention consists of a softpedal mounted to swing vertically and laterally,

r 5 combined with a rack for locking the pedal in place, and of bars operated by the said pedal, one of the bars serving to move the hammerrest bar closer to the strings, and the other bar serving to control the key-levers, so that the Q0 hammers have less throw, all as will be fully described and set forth hereinafter, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an end view of my improved pedal for pianofortes, parts of the same being broken out and others being in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View of the same on line 00 at, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional View of the pedal on the line 20 10, Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a sectional View. on the line y 9, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan View of the pedal, part of the casing being in section. Fig.6 is a front view of a piano, parts being broken out and others being shown in section with my improved pedal.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The forte-pedal A is pivoted to swing vertically in the usual manner. The soft or piano pedal B is pivoted to swing laterallyon apiece,

i O, which is pivoted to swing vertically on the same pin with the forte-pedal A, said piece 0 being provided with an extension or tongue, 0, beyond the pivot.

The pedals A and B pass through vertical 5 slots A and B in the front of the case D, and

at the left-hand edge of the slot B a vertical rack, E, is fixed, the teeth of which are at the left-hand side ofthe slot, the piano-pedal B being provided in its left-hand edge with a nar- .row part or tooth, F, which can engage the teeth of the rack E. The said piano-pedal can thus be moved vertically, and can also be moved laterally, thus permitting of the looking of the pedal Bin place afterit has been depressed to the desired degree.

A bar, G, parallel with the front wall of the casing, is coupled to the pedal B in front of the pivot, which bar G is pivoted at G, and is acted upon by a spring, G which presses on the under side of the bar. On that end of the bar G opposite the one connected with the pedal B the rod H rests, 011 the upper end of which an arm of the swinging hammer-rest J rests, against which the hammers K rest when from the strings. WVhen the pedal B is depressed, 6 5 the rod His moved upward, whereby the restrail J is swung toward the strings, thus bringing the hammers nearer the strings and reducing the stroke. If the stroke is thus reduced, the tones produced by striking the strings are not as loud as when the rail J is in its normal position, the hammer having less force on account of its smaller stroke. The inner end of the projection or tongue 0 is connected with an upwardly-projecting rod, M, the upper end of which is forked, and in which fork the rod N rests, which extends under the inner ends of the key-levers O, and has its ends bent for forming the pivots on which said rod can swing vertically, as shown in Fig. 2.

YVhenever the pedal B is depressed, the rod M is raised at the same time with the rod H, whereby the inner ends of the key-levers O are also raised, and the distance that the said keylevers can be depressed is reduced corresponding to the reduced stroke of the hammers. When the pedal B is depressed such distance that the tooth Fcan catch on the first tooth of the rack Eflpiano sounds are produced, as the throw of the hammers and key-levers is reduced slightly. If the pedal is still further depressed sufficiently to engage with the second tooth, pianissimo tones are produced, as the throw of the hammers is still more reduced, and, finally, if the pedal Bis depressed until its teeth engages the lower tooth of the rack E, harp tones are produced, as the throw of the hammers and key-levers is reduced to the practical limit. \Vhereas on an ordinary piano only a piano tone can bepro- Too duced, I can produce three variations of tones. By raising the inner ends of the key-levers to correspond with the adjustment of the supporting-rail J a greater or less distance from 5 the strings I keep the jacks of the actions directly under the butts, which has decided advantages.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A pedal-lever for piano-fortes,mounted to swing laterally on a piece pivoted to swing vertically, substantially as shown and described.

2. A pedal-lever for piano-fortes, mounted I5 to swinglaterally on a piece pivoted to swing vertically, and having a tongue projecting in the reverse direction of the pedal from the said pivoted piece substantially as shown and dc scribed.

3. In a piano-forte the combination, with a 20 connected with the rail for supporting the hammers, a rod resting on a projection of the pedal-lever beyond its pivot, a rod under the inner end of the key-levers, which rod, under the inner ends of the key-levers, is supported by the rod on the projection of the pedallever, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PETER WEBER.

Witnesses: V I

OSCAR F. GUM, l\'[ARTIN PETRY. 

